PRAVESH TO RAJYAPURASKAR – AN OUTING

How to Perform Mouth to Mouth Resuscitation

Mouth to mouth resuscitation is a vital skill that can save a person’s life. It is a great skill to learn, but only those that know the steps should attempt it.

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Watch

Cloth

1

Tap the person on the shoulder to see if he is conscious. Loudly ask, “Are you okay?”. Ask this several times while tapping them. If he doesn’t respond, begin mouth to mouth.

2

Tilt the person’s head back by placing your hand on his forehead and lifting his chin with the first two fingers of your other hand.

3

Look, listen, and feel for air coming out of the victim’s mouth by bending your own ear down to his mouth. Tilt your head towards the victims feet, so you can also look to see if his chest is rising and falling. Continue to tilt the head back with both hands as you look, listen and feel for air.

4

See if there is an obstruction. If you do not feel any air, look for anything that may be obstructing the victim’s airway. Perform a sweep of the person’s mouth using your two fingers while tilting the head back to see if anything is caught in the air passageway.

5

Take a deep breath, pinch the victim’s nose closed with the hand that is holding the forehead, seal your lips around the victim’s mouth and give them several deep breaths. Pause in between each one to inhale shortly.

6

Look, listen and feel for breathing from your victim. Continue to give him mouth-to-mouth at steady, regular intervals, pausing only to breathe yourself. Always look to see if the chest is rising and falling, to ensure your breaths are getting through.

Electric shock occurs when an electric current flows through the body. The human body is made up of 60% to 70% water. This makes it a good conductor of electricity. Burns, damage to internal organs, heart rhythm problems, and death can result from electric shock.

Signs & Symptoms

Shocking sensations. Numbness or tingling. A change in vision, speech, or in any sensation.

Burns or open wounds. These occur where the electricity enters and exits the body.

Muscle spasms or contractions.

Sudden immobility or fractures. A body part may looked deformed.

Interrupted breathing. Irregular heartbeats or chest pain.

Seizures.

Unconsciousness.

A small child who bites or sucks on an electric cord can have a facial injury or distinct burn around the rim of the mouth.

Electric Shock can cause tissue damage under the skin’s surface.

Causes

Touching a high-voltage (more than 1,000 volts) source, such as high-tension wires that fall during a storm. Touching someone who is still touching a live current. Touching a low-voltage (less than 1,000 volts) current source, such as an electric socket or worn cord.

Mixing water and electricity.

Being struck by lightning. A bolt of lightning carries as many as 30 million volts.

Treatment

Contact with electricity from a high-voltage wire or being struck by lightning needs emergency medical care. Contact with electricity from a low-voltage current needs emergency medical care if any signs or symptoms listed above are present. A person who does not have any symptoms should still see a doctor to check for possible internal injuries.

To Avoid Being Harmed by Lightning

Heed weather warnings.

Take shelter in a building, if you can.

Stay in your car (if it is not a convertible) rather than out in the open.

If you are caught outside, avoid tall trees, open water, metal objects, and high ground. Crawl into a low-lying place or curl up on the ground, head to knees with your head touching the ground.

First Aid For Electric Shock

Children, especially toddlers, love sticking their little fingers anywhere and everywhere, especially into plug points and sockets. The human body is a good conductor of electricity, and contact with a live power source can cause significant burns, or may interfere with the heart’s electrical system.

Everyone has received minor electric shocks sometime or the other, which are no cause for concern. But once in a while, a lose wire or a faulty household appliance can shock the life out of you – literally. Most of the
fatal electric shocks happen at home.

Here’s what you can do if it happens in your home.

The victim usually gets stuck to the source of the electricity, and it is important that you first separate him from the electrical source.

Turn off the power supply switch and disconnect the plug. It’s best to simply turn off the main power supply or pull out the fuse. Often, simply turning off the switch may not stop the flow of electricity.

In certain circumstances it may be quicker to simply pull the victim away from the electrical source.

Do NOT touch the victim with your bare hands, or the electric current will pass through you as well.

If you are barefoot, stand of some clothes or any hand non-conductive material like wood or paper. Make sure you are not standing on anything that is wet.

Throw a blanket over the victim and try to separate him from the source. Maje sure you don’t touch him though. You could also use dry, nonconductive material such as a wooden broom handle or a chair to separate the victim from the live current. whatever is handy.

Once the victim has been separated, check to see if he is breathing. If breathing has stopped or seems slow, administer CPR immediately.

Let his head be slightly lower than the rest of the body, and raise his legs.

Cover the victim with a blanket.

Move the victim as little as possible. He may have suffered injuries to his spine and neck.

If the victim has a burn, remove the clothing from the burned area (unless it’s stuck to the skin) and rinse it in cool, running water. Cover the burn with a dressing.

Children choke on pieces of food, toys, and household objects. Babies and toddlers are at greatest risk because they have a natural tendency to put things in their mouths, they cannot chew well, and their small upper airways can easily become obstructed. Fortunately, choking deaths are preventable. Here’s how to keep your child safe.

In an Emergency :

When a child gags on a drink or a piece of food, she will often cough forcefully enough to clear her airway. Don’t slap her back or reach into her mouth with your fingers while she’s coughing; it could push the object farther down her windpipe. If your child can no longer speak, cough, or cry, and her face starts turning blue, you must intervene immediately. Have someone call for help while you begin first aid.

HOW TO SAVE AN OLDER CHILD ( MORE THAN ONE YEAR)

Perform the Heimlich maneuver: Stand or kneel behind your child with your arms around her waist. (If she is unconscious, lay her on her back and kneel at her feet.)

Make a fist and hold it with your other hand against your child’s abdomen, just above the navel and below the rib cage. (If your child is lying down, place the heel of your hand in the middle of her stomach just above the belly button and below the rip cage, resting your other hand on the top of the first.) Pressing firmly but gently on her abdomen, give upwards thrusts in sets of five until the object is expelled.

If the object isn’t cleared and your child loses consciousness, lay her on her back and open her mouth. If you see the obstruction, carefully sweep you index finger across the back or her throat to remove it.

Perform rescue breathing: Open the airway by tilting the head back and lifting the chin up.

Keeping the airway open, pinch your child’s nose shut with your fingers, seat your mouth over hers, and give two slow breaths. Continue mouth-to-mouth respiration until she resumes normal breathing or medical help arrives. Note: If your child’s chest doesn’t begin to rise, the object is still blocking her airway. Repeat steps 1 to 5 until the object is coughed up or help arrives.

Even if your child seems fine after a choking incident that requires intervention, take her to the doctor to make sure that the blockage has been completely removed and that there is no lasting damage.

To Lower Your Childs Risk

Keep your child away from garbage, especially any kitchen trash that he can swallow, such as eggshells or pop tabs from soda cans.

Near-drowning is when a person is in danger of drowning. Each year, almost 8,000 people die from drowning. Seventy percent of all near-drowning victims recover; 25% die, and 5% have brain damage.

A toddler can drown in as little as 2 inches of water in a bathtub, sink, etc. Toilet bowls are unsafe, too, if a small child falls into one head-first.

Signs & Symptoms

A person is in the water with signs of distress. He or she can’t stay above water, swims unevenly, signals for help, etc.

Blue lips or ears. The skin is cold and pale.

Bloated abdomen. Vomiting. Choking.

Confusion. Lethargy.

The person does not respond or can’t breathe.

Causes

Not being able to swim. Being in water too deep and too rough for one’s ability to swim.

Water sport and other accidents. Not following water safety rules. Not wearing a life preserver, etc. Unsupervised swimming.

Falling through ice while fishing, skating, etc.

Injury or problems that occur while swimming, boating, etc. Examples are leg or stomach cramps, fatigue, and alcohol or drug use. A heart attack, stroke, seizure, and a marine animal bite or sting may have occurred.

Kids are especially at risk because they’re curious and attracted to water but are not yet able to understand how dangerous it is. If your child is the victim of a near-drowning, this fast-action rescue plan can prevent a tragedy.

Surprising Drowning Hazards

Did you know that a small child can drown in as little as one to two inches of water – which is just enough to submerge her mouth and nose?

Bathtubs: Never leave a child under 4 alone in the tub or near a running bath.

Buckets and containers: A curious toddler can fall headfirst into a water-filled bucket and be unable to get out. Even a cooler filled with melting ice can be a drowning hazard.

Baby bath seats or rings: Never leave your child unattended in a bath seat – he could slip down into the water and get trapped underneath, or the ring could tip over.

Diaper pails: Make sure the top of your diaper pail fits securely and can’t be lifted off by small fingers.

Wading pools: Empty child-size pools after use and store on their sides.

In an Emergency case

Your first priority is to get a drowning child out of the water as soon as possible. If she isn’t breathing, place her on her back on a firm surface. Immediately begin rescue breathing, below, and have someone call for help. Don’t assume it’s too late to save a child’s life – even if she’s unresponsive, continue performing CPR and do not stop until medical professionals take over.

1. To open your child’s airway, gently tilt her head back with one hand, and lift her chin with the other. Put your ear to the child’s mouth and nose, and look, listen and feel for signs that she is breathing.

2. If your child doesn’t seem to be breathing

A Infants under age 1: Place your mouth over infant’s nose and lips and give two breaths, each lasting about 1 1/2 seconds. Look for the chest to rise and fall.

B Children 1 and older: Pinch child’s nose and seal your lips over her mouth. Give two slow, full breaths (1 1/2 to 2 seconds each). Wait for the chest to rise and fall before giving the second breath.

3. If the chest rises, check for a pulse (see number 4).
If the chest doesn’t rise, try again. Retilt the head, lift the child’s chin, and repeat the breaths.

4. Check for a pulse: Put two fingers on your child’s neck to the side of the Adam’s apple (for infants, feel inside the arm between the elbow and shoulder). Wait five seconds. If there is a pulse, give one breath every three seconds. Check for a pulse every minute, and continue rescue breathing until the child is breathing on her own or help arrives.

5. If you can’t find a pulse then …..

A Infants under age 1: Imagine a line between the child’s nipples, and place two fingers just below its centerpoint. Apply five half-inch chest compressions in about three seconds. After five compressions, seal your lips over your child’s mouth and nose and give one breath.

B Children 1 and older: Use the heel of your hand (both hands for a teenager or adult) to apply five quick one-inch chest compressions to the middle of the breastbone (just above where the ribs come together) in about three seconds. After five compressions, pinch your child’s nose, seal your lips over his mouth, and give one full breath.

All ages: continue the cycle of five chest compressions followed by a breath for one minute, then check for a pulse. Repeat cycle until you find a pulse or help arrives and takes over.

Note: These instructions are not a substitute for CPR training, which all parents and caretakers should have.

The circulatory system distributes blood to all parts of the body, carrying oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. If the circulatory system fails, and insufficient oxygen reaches the tissues, the medical condition known as shock occurs. If the condition is not treated quickly, the vital organs can fail, ultimately causing death. Shock is made worse by fear and pain.

Causes of Shock

Shock can develop when the heart pump fails to work properly, causing a reduction in the pressure of the circulating blood. The most common cause of this type of shock is a heart attack.

Shock can develop as a result of a reduction in the volume of fluid circulating around the body. The most common examples of this are external or internal bleeding, or loss of other bodily fluids through severe diarrhoea, vomiting, or burns. The blood supply is diverted from the surface to the core of the body. The main symptoms and signs of shock relate to such redistribution of the circulation.

Recognition of Shock

Initially, a flow of adrenaline causes:

A rapid pulse.

Pale, grey skin, especially inside the lips. If pressure is applied to a fingernail or earlobe, it will not regain its colour immediately.

Sweating, and cold, clammy skin (sweat does not evaporate).

As shock develops, there may be:

Weakness and giddiness.

Nausea, and sometimes vomiting.

Thirst.

Rapid, shallow breathing.

A weak, ‘thready’ pulse. When the pulse at the wrist disappears, fluid loss may equal half the blood volume.

As the oxygen supply to the brain weakens:

The casualty may become restless, anxious and aggressive.

The casualty may yawn and gasp for air (‘air hunger’).

The casualty will eventually become unconscious.

Finally, the heart will stop.

Treatment of Shock

DO NOT let the casualty move unnecessarily, eat, drink, or smoke.

DO NOT leave the casualty unattended. Reassure the casualty constantly.

Treat any cause of shock which can be remedied (such as external bleeding).

Lay the casualty down, keeping the head low.

Raise and support the casualty’s legs (be careful if suspecting a fracture).

Loosen tight clothing, braces, straps or belts, in order to reduce constriction at the neck, chest and waist.

Insulate the casualty from cold, both above and below. Contact the emergency service.

Check and record breathing, pulse and level of response. Be prepared to resuscitate the casualty if necessary.

The highwayman’s hitch is a type of knot. It is a quick-release, draw loop hitch popular for temporarily securing horses. There are two main features to this hitch. It can be untied with a tug of the working end, and the working and standing ends are released on the same side of the object (ex. pipe fence rail) that was tied on to.

Both of these features are desirable when dealing with horse emergencies where a panicked animal may be straining against a tied off lead rope. Because the working (free) and standing (horse) ends release on the same side of the object tied to, the free end of the rope is not whipped around behind the rail by the animal, thereby forcing the quick-release grip on the rope to be abandoned.

DRAW HITCH

The knot is three bights linked through one another. To tie, begin by forming a bight behind the pole. Next, pass a bight formed from the standing part (the end that will receive tension) over the pole and through the first bight. Then, pass a bight formed from the working end over the pole and through the second bight. Pull the standing part tight to ensure that it holds. Until the knot is tightened and properly dressed the highwayman’s hitch has little holding power. When properly tied to posts or rails of approximately 2.5 – 3 inches diameter using the large diameter, compressible ropes commonly used for hose leads, it can be a remarkably secure knot.

Use:
The fireman’s chair knot is a rescue knot. There are two loops formed. One which goes under the arms; the other under the legs of person.Care should be taken when tying this knot.

About this Blog

Dear Scouts and Guides, this is a self-motivated blog created by a scoutmaster to quench your thirst of scouting and guiding information from Pravesh to Rajyapuraskar level. This is a small online attempt to help his beloved scout sons and guide daughters.

Thank You, Scouts and Guides

Thank you scouts and guides for having given more than 8 lakhs visits to this blog.